On the Grid

Here’s short video of a track that I wrote for the band Made by Robots arranged for a box with buttons.

Though this was recorded a while ago now, it still reminds me of a particular time in music technology when midi controllers, more than ever, were first being thought of as an instrument in their own right. I realize that really wasn’t that long ago now and that grid controllers like the monome are likely here to stay, but it seems to me DIY midi controllers and boutique designers like Livid Instruments really had their heyday somewhere around 2010. I guess this video is a little bit of celebration of that.

For a more technical breakdown of what’s going on:

Live electronic music performed on a Livid OhmRGB midi controller. The song is arranged by chopping the parts up into 64 samples which are triggered live. 16 of the buttons are dedicated to drums, 16 to the main melody, 16 to harmony parts, 8 to bass and 8 to the bridge. Some of the parts are sequenced MLRV style (http://parallelogram.cc/mlrv/) to simplify the button juggling while still allowing for the freedom to improvise and cut up the song in the moment.